Possible problem with a Walther P1

I bought this pistol about two years ago as a range/fun gun. I noticed right away that the decock would not always initiate with the hammer pulled back. I would have to raise and press down multiple times on the safety lever to get her to work. I also tried holding the hammer back with my thumb while attempting to decock as par with the original manual, but alas same deal.

As I said, this is a fun gun so I never really paid it much heed as everything else functions flawlessly, however, I'm a little concerned that this could be an indication of some mechanical issue that could lead to other things. Surely I don't want to drop the hammer and have her fire unexpectedly.

Anyone else have a P1 with the same issue?

If you enjoyed reading about "Possible problem with a Walther P1" here in TheHighRoad.org archive, you'll LOVE our community. Come join TheHighRoad.org today for the full version!

bullturkey

November 7, 2009, 05:44 PM

The issue I had was empties hitting me on the forehead. Ordered a new extractor from numrich. Make sure you know what you are doing when you dis-assemble yours to fix your problem.

dfariswheel

November 7, 2009, 06:56 PM

The P-38/P1 de-cock system is rather simple.

When you turn the safety down, the safety locks the firing pin and activates the hammer trip system to drop the hammer.

The "usual" suspect when the hammer trip system is sticky or not working is the actual hammer lowering lever.
On the exploded view, its part number "Q".

This lever can be seen with the slide off, on the left rear of the frame, right beside the hammer.
When the safety is turned down, it contacts the lever which is pressed down into the frame.

This in turn LIFTS the sear block, allowing the hammer to fall on the locked safety.
By removing the slide and the grips you can easily see this process.
The usual culprit is either a worn hammer drop lever, or occasionally a worn spot on the actual sear block.
Hold the cocked hammer back so it won't fall against the frame and damage it, and just press the lever on the left side down.
As the lever moves down, it will contact the sear block and lift the rear of it up, releasing the hammer.

Possibly all that will be needed is a new hammer drop lever.

http://www.stevespages.com/ipb-walther-p38.html

Gato MontÚs

November 9, 2009, 01:49 AM

Thanks dfariswheel!

I'm gonna order one of those parts sets from AIM which contains the parts you mentioned.

The safety hammer lowering lever looks fine, but is very loose. So much so that when the pistol is fully assembled, you can hear it moving back and forth on its retaining pin.

RON in PA

November 9, 2009, 05:32 AM

Walther P38/P! decocker related, but not directly to the OPs question. When dropping the hammer with the decocker lever, Walther recommends that you do not allow the hammer to drop directly on the firing pin, but that you cushion the drop with your thumb. This from the post-war P38/P1 owners' manual. Apparently Walther did not trust its own system.

bigfatdave

November 9, 2009, 09:55 AM

Apparently Walther did not trust its own system. I would guess that Walther would prefer their system last for decades, not that they felt it was unsafe.

dfariswheel

November 9, 2009, 07:13 PM

The safety hammer lowering lever looks fine, but is very loose

That's totally normal for the P-38/P1 pistols.
A small drop of lube will help lessen the noise.

If you enjoyed reading about "Possible problem with a Walther P1" here in TheHighRoad.org archive, you'll LOVE our community. Come join TheHighRoad.org today for the full version!